I thought here I might share great information.  Health, nutrition, behavior, training and just the life and times living with Chihuahuas.  I hope you enjoy visiting  often so that I can share this great information with you.  And a natural flea repellent recipe.

Female vs. Male

 

Does a male or a female make a better pet for you and your family?

It’s not uncommon for people to believe that a female dog will make a better pet. We get a lot of calls for people wanting that “special little girl”. For whatever reason they don’t think that females will exhibit “alpha” behaviors like humping and/or marking. A lot of people think that females are more passive and friendly and that they don’t take part in fighting over dominance, which could NOT be farther from the truth. If you check out the structure of dog packs, the females determine the pecking order and rule the roost. The result of that behavior is that the females become more stubborn, independent, and territorial than the males. These females are much more intent on exercising their control by participating in that “alpha” behavior like humping. Most fighting will usually break out between two females.

Males tend to be more affectionate, exuberant, attentive, and even more demanding of attention. The males are very attached to their owners, tending to be more dedicated, reliable and less temperamental. They are more sociable, more accepting of other pets, playful for years, and take quicker to children. Most boys are easily motivated by treats/food, words of praise and are so eager to please that training actually becomes easier. Their playful nature, however, can make males more easily distracted. The boys are more likely to act silly and more puppy-like, always wanting to play games, no matter what their age. The boys are fun-loving until the day they die, whereas girls tend to be more standoffish and dignified the older they get.

Neutered males rarely exhibit secondary sexual behavior such as marking and lifting their legs or humping. Once the testosterone levels recede after neutering, most of these behaviors will disappear if they ever existed. Boys who were neutered early (by five months of age) usually don’t ever raise their leg to urinate.

So before making your decision on that age old dilemma of male verses female, hopefully this will give you some helpful info to think about.

With this  section I wanted to talk a little about dangerous foods.  These days there is so many places we are able to purchase foods for our loving canine family members, so are obvious places we should know not to purchase if we are looking for a healthy choice for our dogs.  Myself I have tried over the years to learn as much as possible about balance nutrition and gone through so many types of foods trying to find what I felt was best.  Lately with all the recalls out there on manufacture dog foods it makes it harder to know who to trust.  But I feel for my dogs staying with a product that is totally organic, all ingredients from America and made in America is safest.  So when you are looking for food for you dog please check for recalls and make sure you know where this product comes from and is prepared.

Also keep in mind that you should do the same for dog treats, myself it is so much easier to make my own and I know what ingredients in going into those treats and cost is pennies on the dollar.  So you may want to think about that alternative.

I have even found that instead of buying canned foods I will make my own to add to my dogs kibble making their meals that more enjoyable.

Now in regards to making food for you pet, keep in mind that there are food you never want your dog to have because they can be poisonous.  The picture above is a few, there are more which I will add to this.  So whether you are cooking for your dog or just sharing from your plate keep in mind what you have before you share with them.

List below:

 

Alcoholic beverages	Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.
Avocado	The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources	Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
Cat food	Generally too high in protein and fats.
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine	Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems.
Citrus oil extracts	Can cause vomiting.
Fat trimmings	Can cause pancreatitis.
Fish (raw, canned or cooked)	If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
Grapes, raisins and currants	Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.
Hops	Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.
Human vitamin supplements containing iron	Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.
Macadamia nuts	Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
Marijuana	Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.
Milk and other dairy products	Some adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of dairy products.
Moldy or spoiled food, garbage	Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
Mushrooms	Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.
Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder)	Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.
Persimmons	Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Pits from peaches and plums	Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.
Raw eggs	Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
Raw meat	May contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.*
Rhubarb leaves	Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.
Salt	If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
String	Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."
Sugary foods	Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.
Table scraps (in large amounts)	Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.
Tobacco	Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.
Yeast dough	Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)	Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in vomiting, weakness and collapse. In high doses can cause liver failure.

 

 

 

Cooking for your Fur Baby

Recipes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an X-ray of a 2 week old puppy. Look at how far the bones have to grow before they become a proper bony joint!  This is why you should never let puppies....Jump, walk up/down stairs, over exercise or over train.  Doing much impact activity at a young age will cause serious issues later in life, or even at a young age hip dysplasia and other orthopedic conditions are rising in puppies!

Remember the puppy rule for every month increase activity by 5 minutes!  For example an 8 weeks old puppy needs 10 minutes physical activity a day - a 6 month old only needs 30 minutes a day of physical activity.

Physical activity includes - going for a walk, training, playing fetch, running, play with other dogs etc.

It's all in perspective, your puppy is a baby and we would never ask your infant baby to run for a mile either.

Electrolyte water can save lives, both in humans and animals.  However, keep in mind dogs only need it when they're ill or injured - not after exercise or in hot weather.

 

When Dogs Need It

 

A dog may need electrolyte replacement when he's dehydrated from diarrhea or blood loss.  A wound that bleeds heavily is a true emergency, while bloodsuckers on the outside, such as fleas and ticks, or on the inside, such as hookworms and tapeworms, are a long-term problem can precipitate an equally urgent crisis.  Either way, the dog needs immediate help to restore the content and balance of sodium and chloride I his bloodstream.

 

When Dogs Don't Need it

 

A dog doesn't need electrolyte replacement when he's been exercising, even exercising very hard.  When humans sweat to cool themselves, they lose salt (sodium chloride) and other minerals in their sweat.  Since dogs don't sweat through their skin, they cool themselves by panting, which evaporates only water from their tongues.  They don't lose any minerals this way and need only water replacement, without the electrolytes.

 

Store-Bought versus Homemade

 

Commercial electrolyte-balancing solutions for dogs are readily available trough veterinarians and even on the internet, but these may contain things a dog doesn't really need, mainly preservatives to keep them shelf-stable.  With homemade electrolyte water, he can get the essential ingredients without anything they might be sensitive to.

 

Make Your Own

 

We've all heard that saying "If a little bit's good, then a whole lot must be better."  and this is true for many things, but not for everything.  Electrolyte water need to be made in careful proportions so as not to give a dog too much of anything.  Sodium and chloride are already in correct proportion in ordinary table salt, so one teaspoonful of table salt dissolved in a quart of clean, fresh water will create an electrolyte replacement appropriate for a dehydrated dog.  This mixture contains all he really needs in an emergency, but adding a tablespoon of sugar or honey may make it more palatable for them without doing any harm.  You can open a can of good-quality low sodium chicken broth and dilute it with 2 cans of water;  this lowers the sodium content enough that it won't hurt the dog and they may be more willing to take it with this flavoring.  The ultimate restorative for a sick or injured dog is homemade chicken stock made with chicken necks, back and wing tips simmered slowly for eight hours or until the bones crumble, then strained and seasoned with kitchen herbs (parsley, sage thyme and the like, but no onion or garlic.)  and a measured teaspoon of salt per quart.  This has actual easily digested protein content and is attractive to dogs in smell and taste.